New Deck!!

New Beginnings...

Made With Love...

Carefully Crafted..

Aligned Just Right..



Steps the way...

To Success!!

Thank you Hubby for the beautiful new deck!!!

Sunday Chores & Rewards

This Sunday was not one of lounging around and watching mind numbing TV and ordering take out- like so many oblivious Americans do now a days.  Perhaps we enjoy our simpler world, without television, working with our hands to create, build, grow and harvest.

 Jim & Stown

Waiting until 9 am before the hammering began (in consideration of the neighbors), the boys went to work on our new back deck.

Stacks of lumber await purpose in a new life as a deck.

I worked the garden beds.  I planted my spinach and lettuce starts.  In the ground a bit later than last year, but this fall has been quite a bit warmer.  Once sprouted and a few inches tall, I will cover the glass with cardboard and let them sleep under the snow.  I did this last fall and when the snow melted this spring I was able to harvest my first salad in March!!

The final harvest.... (clock wise from the top)

Cherry Tomatoes (will be wrapped to ripen inside), Radishes, Parsley, Spearmint, Catnip, Sage, Huge Green Onions, a Tiny Cantaloupe (I found it hiding under the tomato plant.) and Peppers (center).

Hanging Herb Bunches

Homemade Pecan Sticky Buns!!

They definitely kept us fueled for the day!

Hope you had a productive weekend!!

Girl's Day Out

Dahl Sheep

This was how our morning started... with a wildlife road block.

They were licking the salt off the road left by the plow trucks.  My friend Barb and I decided to take a 225 mile "colors" road trip around the mountains a couple of weeks ago.  We left Durango and headed north through Silverton, Ouray, Telluride, Dolores and home. 

Hay Harvest

We had to stop before Telluride to capture this photo.  How beautiful to see the last cutting of hay, fall colors and snowy mountains all in one picture.

Really?!

Ok, aside from the way over priced shops that made our jaws drop repeatedly, this may have been the most shocking sign of the day.  Really?  A lost sheep poster? 

Barb & Me

After lunch and more shops, it was time to hit the road again - But not without a parting shot! 

This was taken at the south end of Telluride (thank you kind stranger).

A great road trip - filled with beautiful colors, a smidgen of snow, good chatter, fun shopping (we did find a consignment store where we each scored a good deal!) and a delicious Mexican food lunch.  It all made for a nice girl's day out. 

Wisconsin Trip: Part 3

Cranberry & Stown

Wisconsin in August means State Fair. 

So off we went to see the Wisconsin products, critters, food and games.

 Steve (Jim's pops) & Jim

We had to go see the baby beefs.  Yum, Beef it's what's for dinner!

Jim & Me

Who knew they would have a Nascar cut out for photo fun.

 Joyce (Jim's mom) & Stown

She seems a bit surprised by the gigantic turkey leg Stown chose for dinner.

The Clydesdale National Show was a featured event this year. 

 Of course, the Midway... because I just had to play a game.

We ate sooooo much fried food, it's repulsive to think back on.  We had:

deep fried butter

deep fried snickers bar

deep fried oreos

chocolate covered bacon on a stick

cream puffs

and of course washed it all down with a beer or two. 

Ugh!  Pepto Bismal take me away!!

In hindsight, maybe I should have taken pictures of all our edible (some of them not very) adventures.  All in all, it was a good time and not one my stomach will soon forget.

Stay tuned for more Wisconsin fun....

Four Years Ago

Jim, 2 October 2007

This picture is one of my favorite picture of my husband.  It was taken the night before our wedding.  Jim was kneeling down in the headlights of the car trying to set up our tent in the dark.  I used my father's 1970's 35mm Minolta camera to capture him.  This may even be the last picture of him as a single man.  That was four years ago.  Tomorrow we celebrate our wedding anniversary, but since the world dictates work for the both of us we celebrated this weekend.

Four years doesn't seem like much, but it's a great start to forty more!!

I love you, Jim.

The Death of the Pig

Can A Pig Die Twice?

Ours Did.

This was the sad scene I came home to last night.  After a long day at work, I picked up Stown from school and we went shopping.  Socks, underwear, new shoes, the grocery store.  We didn't get home until nearly 7:30.  As we unloaded the car, I raced ahead of Stown to unlock and rearrange our deep freezer for the chickens he was carrying.  To my horror, this is what I saw.

I panicked. Checked the plug - fine.  Checked the breaker - fine.  I grabbed a thermometer and started stabbing roasts, hams, even packages of bacon.  Too late.  Everthing was 58-60 degrees and judging by the blood loss it happened a few days ago.

I broke into tears.  We had just picked up the pig a month ago and now it had died, again.  I cried and started going over all the dinners we were going to miss... no pork posole, no grilled chops, no Christmas ham!!  Stown stepped up with a hug and told me to go take a hot bath and he would put the rest of the groceries away.

We spent the rest of the evening quietly mourning our losses and counting our blessings, for we did get some good meals out of it in the last month.  I found a package of chops that had made it into our other freezer and rejoiced in the fact that the butcher had made a slight mistake and we were owed 15 lbs of Italian sausage.  So, I guess we will still get a few more meals.  All in all, I am grateful that we still have so many blessings in our life.  After sleeping on it, my heart is still broken and my wallet will take time to recover - but atleast I have a job to go to this morning.  Maybe I can even save enough to invest in a new freezer this time (the dead one was a used freebie we received in May). 

The worst part is that Jim doesn't know yet.  He had a strange work schedule yesterday and  was asleep when we got home.  I didn't wake him, why, there was nothing he could do anyway.  And to add insult to injury, yesterday morning was the trash pick up.  Now, I have to haul all this meat to the dump and pay to have the freezer disposed of. 

That's Life.

Creative Fixes

When we first brought our Lab puppy, Doug,  home we had to kennel him when we went to work.  As he grow and chewed, we no longer kenneled him but used the kennel as a barrier to block off areas of our house.  Now, at 3 1/2 years old he can be trusted not to eat our things but we still have a kennel in the middle of our kitchen.  For the longest time, I threw an old sheet over it and it served as a island of sorts to pile lunchboxes and mail on.  We can't seem to bring our selves to get rid of it - the dogs still sleep in it and I like having a little extra "counter" space. 

So, I reevaluated the sheet and unsteady top and came up with a creative fix.

I picked up a vinyl  table cloth and a matching sheet at the thrift for a few bucks.  I laid cardboard on top of the kennel to even out the wiry surface.  I cut and stitched the table cloth to fit the top snugly.   After experimenting with Velcro to attach the table cloth and the sheet, I settled with sewing the two together.  The top can be wipe off with a damp cloth and the entire thing is machine washable if needed.  

\

Aspen & Doug

In the end, I didn't loose my "island" and the dogs are happy with their kitchen cave.

Don't underestimate the power of creativity!

Fall Hiking

After such wonderfully productive day yesterday, I decided to escape into the high country with my friend Steve today.

Steve at the top of La Plata Canyon.

Me at the trail head sign.

We hiked over to Taylor Lake and tried to cast a line but it was too windy.  We aren't even sure if there are fish there, in fact nobody I have spoken with knows if there are or are not.  Our mission was to try and to find out today.  The frost had already taken hold of this altitude as you can see by all the fall colors.  (11,660 ft)

We did see about a dozen of these...  What these are I am not sure.  I should have taken better photos of the ones that were "beached" on the water's edge.  I tried to research them but nothing looked quite the same.  To the best of my limited findings, I can say they are larval Tiger salamanders because they still have very obvious gills, small legs / feet and the only ones completely out of the water were dead.  The few that were swimming (or rather floating below the surface) in the shallows were very lethargic, perhaps from the cold temperatures.  Next time I am up there I need to better document these slimy little critters.

Double click to enlarge

After a failed fishing attempt (no thanks to the blustery winds), we walked the Colorado Trail to the Kennebec Notch.  The views were stunning.  Then back to the truck just in time for the hail!!

Behold the beauty that surrounds you!!

Baking Daze

I usually work way too much in a week.  However, this week I had a couple days off (besides Sunday - which is family day).  I love a day off when the boys are off to school or work and I am left home alone with the dogs and the cat and too much food.  That's when I throw on the music and get creative!!  The day started with croutons (see previous post) and progressed..

Quiche with spinach and green onions from the garden.

Happy Hubby Meat Pockets - similar to a Pasty (for those in the Midwest) - a bread dough filled with ground beef, tomato sauce, onion, garlic and herbs from the garden.  Then I pan fried them in a bit of oil.  My husband's favorite, but they are some what time consuming.  I usually make them, freeze them and use them in his lunches when I am short on time.

Pesto!!

Inspiration sometimes comes from desperation.

When I woke up on Sunday and saw the temperature was 38 degrees I panicked and swiftly harvested my basil. (I left a few small plants just in case that Indian Summer does come.)  Into the blender, then into ice cube trays and Viola! Pesto cubes!  I combine the frozen cubes in a baggie and store in the freezer for a quick and easy side dish.

Who doesn't love Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies?!

Yummy Squash Bisque

3 quarts for the freezer!!

Finally dinner..

8 ball zuccini stuffed with ground lamb, onions and herbs baked with a parmsan and bread crumb crust served on vermicilli with fresh herb marinara - oh, and a slice of homemade bread!

I always feel so good after such a productive day.  I guess fall harvests and the cooler air just inspires days in the kitchen. 

Happy Harvesting!!

Old Heels Get New Life - Homemade Croutons

I always save all the unused heels of bread from our homemade bread in the freezer.  Once I get enough, I make homemade croutons.  We love them on salads but the are especially good on steaming bowls of soup.

I thaw the bread and cube it into "bite sized" chunks.  I toss them in a big bowl with olive oil and a mix of seasonings (listed below).

I spread them in a single layer on a jelly roll pan and bake @ 350 for 30 min., stirring every 10 min.

Times may vary based on the humidity in your area, but I bake them until they dry out and are crunchy.  Then I cool them well before packing them into air tight jars.

I usually get 2 quarts per batch and they keep well in a cool dry place.

Seasonings:

1 t poultry seasoning

1/2 t celery salt

1/2 t dill seed

1/2 t thyme

1/2 t rosemary

1/2 t garlic granules

1/4 t white pepper

add or subtract for your taste - sometimes this is too much for one batch (depending on the amount of bread) so I will save it for the next time.  All measurements are approximate - I cook with dashes, splashes and pinches - I am trying my best to make it measurable for those who like numbers.

Let me know if you make them, like them or added something different.

Enjoy!

Wisconsin Trip: Part 2

Leave it to my mother-in-law to find the coolest things to do in Milwaukee.

SPIN, is an indoor ping pong hall.  Similar to the pool halls of old, complete with dozens of tables, food & cold drinks!  We spend the afternoon in the air conditioning whacking balls at each other.

At times the competition got fierce!

(once we figured out all the official rules)

Then it was off to the river walk - outside - hot - humid - we suffered through the sticky sweaty walk to see the sights.

Despite the heat, we couldn't resist the classic phone booth photo!!

Even the Fonz managed a smile that sultry afternoon.

The architecture was amazing and I took way too many photos.  So many in fact that they while be featured late in a post all their own.

Stay tuned for more from the Dairy State!

Wisconsin Trip: Part 1

And we're off!

Every other year we hit the friendly skies for a trip to Wisconsin to visit Jim's family.  But first a few crazy pictures at the Durango airport.

A snowboard in the airport?  Makes for entertainment while waiting for your flight

Standing next to an "Idea" balloon, I said "Sometimes... I randomly start to think." 

Jim and Stown agreed that perhaps I shouldn't.  Ha! Joke-sters! 

Wow! Look at this Motley Crew!

Jim (on the far right) and all his cousins.

Once in Wisconsin, they entire family gets together for a reunion.   Food and beer and catching up on stories makes for a great afternoon.  However, to the teenagers this can be a bore, so they split out and found the local quarry.....

Nothing can be as much fun to a teen age boy as jumping off the rocks to impress the chicks!

GO STOWN!!

Great Aunt Anita & Jim

The next day we spent to afternoon visiting with Jim's Great Aunt Anita.  She's 91 (92 this Fall)!!

She told us wonderful stories about hitching rides in a horse drawn carriage to get to church in the winter, the different farms she lived on in her lifetime and shared beautiful photo albums she had been working on chronicling the family history for her sons.  I can't believe how well she gets around.  She still has friend over every Monday for cards!  Sharp as a tack, it was such a gift to hear her stories.

Just part one of our trip, stay tuned for more to come!!

As you may have noticed, I am still having issues with the set up, why won't it upload a vertical photo vertically?  Why can't I rotate it once it's uploaded?  Is anyone else having these problems?   Any help would be appreciated.  I guess for now if I plan on taking a "blog specific" picture I will have to remember to take it horizontally.